Rare sighting of smooth-coated otter close to bustling Bengaluru

Creature captured by camera trap meant to study leopards

There’s some good news for wildlife lovers of Bengaluru. A smooth-coated otter has been captured on a camera trap in the forest near the Devika Rani Roerich Estate on Kanakapura road.

Camera traps were set up by Sanjay Gubbi and his team from Nature Conservation Foundation to monitor the leopard population in forests adjoining the city. A good population of leopards was recorded during their previous surveys both within the reserve and deemed forests on the edge of the city adjoining the NICE highway.

The Roerich Estate is surrounded by BM Kaval Reserve Forest and a large patch of deemed forests of nearly 2,000 acres that connect Bannerghatta National Park.

The otter was camera trapped two days ago on a forest trail about 700 metres from the Vaderahalli lake. This highlights the importance of conserving forests of this area and also lakes found in these forests.

The presence of this species comes as a surprise to both researchers and the forest department. Dipika Bajpai, deputy conservator of forests, Bengaluru urban division said, “Though we were aware of the presence of wildlife in this area, it is nice to document this species. I would rate this as one of the rare findings considering the fact that Bengaluru is one of the most populated cities in the country,” she said.

The smooth-coated otter, with the scientific name Lutrogale perspicillata, is locally called neeru naayi and inhabits rivers, large lakes and reservoirs. It primarily feeds on fish, but supplements its diet with shrimp or crayfish, crabs and insects and other vertebrates like frogs, mudskippers, birds and rats.

They are primarily threatened by loss of habitat due to loss of wetlands, construction of hydroelectric projects, poaching and contamination of waterways by pesticides.

They are categorised as vulnerable with a declining trend by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and protected under Schedule II of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

“Though we got only one individual in the camera trap, I guess there could be more than one as these are sociable animals,” said Gubbi, lead scientist of the research project. The research team also includes Ravindra N, assistant conservator of forests and forest staff Poornesha H C, Sharath T and Ashritha Anoop.